clowder

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

A variation, recorded since 1801, of clutter, itself from clot, from Old English clott (“round mass, lump”), from Proto-Germanic *klūtaz (hence cognate with Dutch kloot (“ball, testicle”), Danish klods (“a block, lump”) and German Klotz (“lump, block”)).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

clowder (plural clowders)

  1. A group of cats or other small felines.
    • 1984 15 April, Nelson Bryant, “Bevies of Terms Befuddle Prides”, in The New York Times:
      A Brooklyn friend who persists in feeding the host of creatures - including me - who appear at her door will be delighted to know that the most nonchalant recipients of her largesse may be referred to as a clowder of cats.
    • 2007, Kathryn Soper, Cat Wrangling Made Easy:
      Real cat fights are rare in established clowders. So instead of risking serious injury, cats resort to menace and threats.
    • 2010, The Big Bang Theory, episode “The Zazzy Substitution”
      Leonard: You’re clearly upset about Amy being gone, and you’re trying to replace her with a bunch of cats.
      Sheldon: Clowder.
      Leonard: What?
      Sheldon: A group of cats is a clowder. Or a glaring. It’s the kind of thing you ought to know now that we have one.
    • 2011, M.D. Pueppke, Fuzzy the Cat, The One and Only, “Getting on terms with the terms”
      How ‛bout organizing a party of clowder chowder. You know, big servings of chowder for the cat clowder.

Synonyms[edit]

  • (collective noun for “cats”): glaring

Hyponyms[edit]

  • (collective noun for “cats”): kindle (group of kittens)

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

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